Exam 4 at Wright State University - StudyBlue StudyBlue Last Modified: 2012-05-23 Size: 82 Views: 705 True or false, As seen from the outer giant planets, the Sun would appear as simply a very bright star in a sea of fainter stars. True true or false, Jupiter radiates 70 percent more energy than it receives from the Sun, mostly because it is still contracting under its own gravity. True The gas giants are composed primarily of? hydrogen. The compositions of Uranus and Neptune differ primarily from that of Jupiter and Saturn in that the outer two planets contain more? water ice. Why were Adams and Le Verrier acknowledged as the discoverers of the planet Neptune? They predicted its position based on the observed discrepancies in the orbit of Uranus. You could fit roughly __________ Jupiters across the diameter of the Sun and roughly __________ Earths across Jupiter’s diameter. 10; 10 If you could find a large enough ocean, which one of these planets would float in it? Saturn As a group, the giant planets all rotate __________ than terrestrial planets faster Why are Jupiter and Saturn not perfectly spherical? They rotate rapidly.

Suppose you attach a weight to one end of a spring and then hold the other end of the spring and spin it above your head. The faster you spin the spring, the farther away the weight will move from your hand. This example illustrates why Saturn is the most oblate of the giant planets. __________ has the most extreme seasons of any planet in the Solar System Uranus The Jovian atmospheric vortices are created by a combination of the Coriolis effect and convection. The fact that Jupiter’s radius is contracting at a rate of 1 mm/year results in Jupiter radiating more heat than it receives from the Sun. Of the giant planets, only Jupiter and Saturn have thick inner layers of molecular and metallic hydrogen. Neptune and Uranus probably took longer to form than Jupiter and Saturn, because the solar nebula was __________ at the radius of Neptune and Uranus. not as dense Advertisement We refer to some of the inner regions of Jupiter and Saturn as metallic hydrogen because they efficiently conduct electricity. Jupiter emits a large amount of radio emission because Charged particles blasted off of Io’s surface move through Jupiter’s magnetic field.

True or false, Although the Sun’s gravitational pull on Earth is nearly 200 times greater than the Moon’s, its tidal effect is only about 50 percent of the Moon’s tidal effect. True true or false, High tides occur twice every 25 hours. True True or False; Because of conservation of angular momentum, as the Earth’s rotation slows in response to the Moon’s tidal pull, the Moon’s distance from Earth increases. True True or false; The tidal stress on a moon as it orbits a planet can heat the moon’s core hot and keep it from solidifying. True True or false; Chaos means that although one can describe the motion of three or more bodies due to their gravitational interactions with each other, it is not possible to predict their motion exactly over long periods of time. True Roughly how often does a high tide occur? Once every 12 hours If high tide occurred at 11:30am . today, when will high tide occur tomorrow afternoon? 12:30pm The force of gravity at the center of Earth, compared to its surface gravity, is equal to Zero Consider a particle inside the Earth located a distance of one-third the Earth’s radius from the center of the Earth.

Assuming the Earth has a uniform density, how would the gravitational force on that particle compare to the gravitational force it would experience at the Earth’s surface? The gravitational force at one-third (Re) would be 9 times larger than at the Earth’s surface. In the past, the Moon was closer to the Earth and the difference in the heights of the ocean at high and low tides were larger. Ocean beach tides are higher than land tides because water can flow, but land cannot. Based on the length of a lunar cycle, if there is a spring tide today, how long will it be until the next spring tide? Two weeks Neap tide occurs when the Moon is in the first or third quarter phase and results in smaller than usual tides. How much of the Moon’s surface can we see from Earth? 60 percent Io’s volcanic activity is due to tidal forces exerted by Jupiter. Why is the space station not torn apart by tides from Earth? It is held together by nuts and bolts. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 split into many pieces before crashing into Jupiter because the comet came within the Roche limit of Jupiter. Tides play a role in the interaction between which types of systems?

Tides play a role in all of these systems. Saturn’s ring system has a very sharp outer edge because particles at the edge have a 7:6 orbital resonance with a pair of co-orbiting moons that lie just outside the rings. Gaps in Saturn’s rings are caused by a. shepherd moons. c. moons that collide with material and clear out their orbit. d. All of the above d. All of the above The Cassini Division in Saturn’s rings is caused by an orbital resonance with its moon named... Mimas. In a three body system, gravity controls the motion of each of the objects, but we cannot accurately predict their positions far into the future due to chaos. When a tiny change in a system’s parameters. such as position or speed, can develop into large differences in later motion or behavior, the system is called chaotic. True of false; Regular moons orbit in the same direction as their parent planets rotate. True true or false; Moons in retrograde orbits are called irregular moons.? True true or false; Io is by far the most geologically active moon in the Solar System.?

True True or False; The oceans under Europa’s icy crust could be very deep and could contain more water than all the oceans on the Earth.? True The only planet(s) without a moon is (are) Mercury and Venus. Large regular moons probably formed at the same time as their planets and grew by accretion. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of regular moons? a. They revolve around their planets in the same direction as the planets rotate. b. They have orbits that lie nearly in the planets’ equatorial plane. c. They are usually tidally locked to their parent planets. d. They are much smaller than all of the known planets. d. They are much smaller than all of the known planets. If a moon has a retrograde orbit then it a. orbits in the opposite direction that the planet rotates. b. orbits in the opposite direction that the planet revolves around the Sun. c. orbits in a clockwise direction as viewed from the planet’s north pole. d. All of the above d. All of the above Which of the following can be used as an indicator of the age of a moon’s surface? a. Surface brightness d.

Io Callisto Which of the following moons is thought to have a vast ocean of water beneath its thin frozen surface? Europa By what process do some living organisms survive deep under the ocean near volcanic vents? Chemosynthesis By examining extremophiles on Earth, which of the following appears NOT to be a key ingredient for life? a. Liquid water c. Organic compounds b. An energy source d. All are key ingredients. All are key ingredients. What leads astronomers to believe that many of the larger moons associated with the giant planets have compositions that are roughly half water? They have average densities midway between water and rock. Titan’s thick atmosphere is believed to have been created when ultraviolet photons broke apart methane molecules, ultimately creating the observed smog-like conditions. This process, though, would likely remove all of the atmospheric methane in roughly 10 million years, yet we still see its presence today. How can this be? Volcanoes on Titan periodically release new methane into the atmosphere. The density of particles in a planet’s rings can be measured using background stars All of the giant planets have rings If the Moon had active volcanoes the Earth might have a ring. Ring material true or false; Pluto is the largest member of the Kuiper Belt.

False true or false; Meteorites are more likely to come from asteroids than comets. True true or false; Although asteroids are small individually, when combined they make up a significant fraction of the total mass of the planets. true or false; Some asteroids have moons just as planets do True true or false; Cometary nuclei provide evidence that the ingredients necessary for the creation of life were present in the early solar nebula. True Which of the following types of Solar System debris was NOT discovered until the age of telescopes? Asteroids Eris and Ceres are examples of dwarf planets. Meteorites contain clues to all of the following EXCEPT changes in the rate of cratering in the early Solar System. Antarctica is the best hunting ground for meteorites for all of the following reasons EXCEPT more meteorites fall there than on other locations on Earth. Most asteroids are closest in shape to a. a potato. The mass of all the known asteroids combined would be as much as one-third the mass of the Moon. What must an asteroid have in order for us to determine its mass? A moon Which of the following does NOT describe comets in the Oort Cloud? Flattened distribution The nucleus of the typical comet is approximately __________ in size.

10 km When a comet comes close to the Sun, its volatile ice sublimates and transforms directly from the solid to __________ phase. gas Comet Halley is unique because it was the first comet whose return was predicted. Comet Halley has a period of 76 years. Comet nuclei, absent their tails, are very dark because they have organic molecules mixed with ice. The one orbital characteristic both short- and long-period comets share is highly eccentric orbits. far from the planets, many thousands of AU from the Sun. In 1994, dozens of fragments of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter. The minimum size of a meteoroid that is capable of surviving its passage through the Earth’s atmosphere and hitting the ground is about as big as your fist. Unit 7 Unit 7 Indicate whether the sentence or statement is true or false. ____ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 1.ï¿½ï¿½ Heterogeneous accretion means that all of the particles that formed a planet had the same composition.

____ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 2.ï¿½ï¿½ Earth's magnetic field is generated in the iron rich mantle. ____ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 3.ï¿½ï¿½ The greenhouse effect occurs because carbon dioxide is opaque to infrared radiation. ____ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 4.ï¿½ï¿½ The absence of folded mountain ranges on Mars suggests that it has been subjected to plate tectonics. ____ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 5.ï¿½ï¿½ Saturn's belts and zones are obscured by haze high in its atmosphere.

____ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 6.ï¿½ï¿½ Although Uranus and Neptune have no liquid metallic hydrogen in their interiors, they do have magnetic fields. ____ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 7.ï¿½ï¿½ The rings around Uranus and Neptune are confined by shepherd satellites. ____ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 8.ï¿½ï¿½ If Uranus had no moon, it would probably not have rings. ____ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 9.ï¿½ï¿½ The tail of a comet always points toward the sun.

____ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 10.ï¿½ Sungrazers are comets that come very close to the surface of the sun. Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. 11.ï¿½ A future news release might report that a new planet has been found around a star very similar to our sun. This newly discovered planet is claimed to have a mass 40 times that of Earth and is located nearly 25 AU from the star it orbits. Which of the following would be a reasonable prediction about this planet? Complete each sentence or statement. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 41.ï¿½ The __________ planets have larger radii than the _______________ planets.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 42.ï¿½ The adding of material an atom at a time is the process of _______________. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 43.ï¿½ A(n) ________________ theory of the formation of the solar system uses sudden events that drastically alter the form of the early solar system. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 44.ï¿½ The separation between Africa and Arabia is a ___________ valley.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 45.ï¿½ The _________ hypothesis for the formation of the moon suggests that the moon and earth formed from the same cloud of material and coalesced as two separate objects. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 46.ï¿½ ___________ is the molecule most responsible for the greenhouse effect on Venus and Earth. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 47.ï¿½ Besides Earth, which of the terrestrial planets and/or satellites of terrestrial planets show(s) evidence for the possible existence of liquid water flowing on its surface in the past?

________________ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 48.ï¿½ The rings of __________ were discovered when they occulted a star. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 49.ï¿½ ___________ discovered Uranus using a telescope that he built himself. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 50.ï¿½ A(n) _________ occurs when a bit of material enters Earth's atmosphere and becomes incandescent due to friction with the atmosphere.

Essay ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 51.ï¿½ Describe four effects that helped to clear the solar nebula. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 52.ï¿½ Describe theories to account for the belt-zone circulation on Jupiter. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 53.ï¿½ What evidence do we have that the orbits of the asteroids are modified by the gravitational influences of the planets?

Unit 7 TRUE/FALSE ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 1.ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ F ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 2.ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ F ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 3.ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ T ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 4.ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ F ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 5.ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ T ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿

½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 6.ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ T ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 7.ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ T ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 8.ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ T ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 9.ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ F ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 10.ï¿½ T MULTIPLE CHOICE ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 11

.ï¿½ C ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 12.ï¿½ C ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 13.ï¿½ A ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 14.ï¿½ D ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 15.ï¿½ D ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 16.ï¿½ B ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 17.ï¿½

 D ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 18.ï¿½ A ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 19.ï¿½ A ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 20.ï¿½ B ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 21.ï¿½ D ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 22.ï¿½ B ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 23.ï¿½ B ï¿

½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 24.ï¿½ C ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 25.ï¿½ B ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 26.ï¿½ E ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 27.ï¿½ D ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 28.ï¿½ D ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 29.ï¿½ C ï¿½ï¿½

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 30.ï¿½ A ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 31.ï¿½ B ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 32.ï¿½ D ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 33.ï¿½ C ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 34.ï¿½ E ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 35.ï¿½ A ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï

¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 36.ï¿½ D ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 37.ï¿½ B ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 38.ï¿½ E ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 39.ï¿½ E ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 40.ï¿½ D COMPLETION ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 4

1.ï¿½ Jovian; terrestrial ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 42.ï¿½ condensation ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 43.ï¿½ catastrophic ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 44.ï¿½ rift ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 45.ï¿½ Co-accretion ï¿

½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 46.ï¿½ Carbon dioxide (CO2) ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 47.ï¿½ Mars ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 48.ï¿½ Uranus ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 49.ï¿½ William Herschel ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 50.ï¿½ meteor ESSAY ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 51.ï¿½ Answer not provided.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 52.ï¿½ Answer not provided. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 53.ï¿½ Answer not provided. Exam 3 at Wright State University - StudyBlue StudyBlue True or false All planets orbit the Sun in the same direction? True True or false The Solar System was formed when a passing star tidally extruded mass from the forming Sun? False Advertisement ) How much mass was there in the protoplanetary disk out of which the planets formed, compared to the mass of the Sun?

< 1 percent If an interstellar cloud having a diameter of 10^16m and a rotation period of a million years were to collapse to form a sphere that had the diameter of our solar system, 40 AU, what would its rotation period be? 4 months According to the conservation of angular momentum, if an ice skater starts spinning with her arms out wide, then slowly pulls them close to her body, this will cause her to... spin faster. If a collapsing interstellar cloud formed only a protostar without an accretion disk around it, what would happen? The forming protostar would be rotating too fast to hold itself together. Consider four spheres of equal mass. Which has the most potential energy? A sphere on the top shelf of a bookshelf. What happens to the kinetic energy of gas as it falls toward and eventually hits the accretion disk surrounding a protostar? It is converted into thermal energy, heating the disk. When you push your palms together and rub them back and forth, you are demonstrating one way of converting __________ energy into __________ energy The solid form of a volatile material is generally referred to as a(n)...

ice The atmosphere of which of these planets is primary, as opposed to secondary, in origin? Saturn The primary atmospheres of the planets are made mostly of... hydrogen and helium. What is the age of our solar system? 4.5 billion years Why do outer planets like Jupiter have huge gaseous atmospheres of hydrogen and helium while the inner planets do not? The outer planets grew massive quickly enough to gravitationally hold on to these gases before the solar wind dispersed the accretion disk. Comets and asteroids are... material left over from the formation of the planets. Advertisement Which of the following is NOT considered evidence of cataclysmic impacts in the history of our Solar System? Valles Marineris on Mars is a huge scar, many times deeper than the Grand Canyon, which spans one-fourth the circumference of the planet. The Moon probably formed .... out of a collision between the Earth and a Mars-sized object. What prevented the Moon from maintaining any atmosphere with which it originally formed? It is not massive enough. Have astronomers detected any Earth-sized planets around normal stars yet? No, we do not have the technology to detect such low-mass planets yet.

An observer outside our solar system, who monitors the velocity of our Sun over time, will find that its velocity varies by +/– 12 m/s over a period of 12 years, because of Jupiter’s gravitational pull. Why have astronomers found more Jupiter-sized planets at a distance of 1 AU around other stars than Earth-sized planets? A Jupiter-sized planet exerts a larger gravitational force on the star than an Earth-sized planet, and the Doppler shift of the star is larger Which of the following is FALSE? a. Over 330 extra-solar planets have been discovered to date b. The most common type of extra-solar planet found to date has a few times the mass of Jupiter and lies within a few AU from its parent star. c.No extra-solar planets have been imaged directly to date; all have all been found by indirect methods. What is the best method to use to detect Earth-sized extra-solar planets with the telescopes and instrumentation that exist today? microlensing When astronomers began searching for extra-solar planets, they were surprised to discover Jupiter-sized planets much closer than 1 AU from their parent stars. Why is this surprising?

These planets must have formed at larger radius where temperatures were cooler and then migrated inward. The lithosphere of a planet is its solid surface. Which object would have the largest impact if it were to strike the Earth? a 100-kg rock moving at 100 m/s Based on the number of impact craters observed per square meter on their surface, place these terrestrial planets in order of youngest to oldest surface: Earth, Venus, Mercury Which of the following is NOT a factor that helps explain Earth’s lack of craters compared to the Moon? Higher density interior Flows of material surrounding Martian craters suggest... the presence of water in surface rocks. Mars, Venus, and Earth are much less heavily cratered than Mercury and the Moon. This is explained by the fact that.... Mars, Venus, and Earth were geologically active longer than Mercury and the Moon. According to studies of impact cratering, which of the terrestrial planets has the oldest surface? a. Mercury c. Earth Studies of the amount of cratering at different locations on the Moon indicate that... the rate of cratering in the Solar System has changed dramatically over time.

Compared to the dark-colored regions on the surface of the Moon, the light-colored regions are approximately 1 billion years older. Based on the age of the light- and dark-colored regions of the Moon and the number of craters observed in these regions, we know that impacts in the inner Solar System rapidly decreased approximately 3 billion years ago. The age of the Solar System can be determined most accurately by radioactive dating of rocks retrieved from the Moon. If a radioactive element has a half-life of 10,000 years, what fraction of it is left in a rock after 40,000 years? One-sixteenth If you obtained a sample of rock from Venus and determined the abundances of and in it, and found that for every 1 uranium atom there were 3 lead atoms, then what would the age of this rock be? Note that decays to with a half-life of 700 million years. Assume that there was no in the rock when it originally formed. 1.4 billion years Suppose an earthquake occurs on an imaginary planet. Scientists on the other side of the planet detect primary waves but not secondary waves after the quake occurs. This suggests that part of the planet’s interior is liquid.

If a radioactive element has a half-life of 10,000 years, what fraction of it is left in a rock after 40,000 years? One-sixteenth If you obtained a sample of rock from Venus and determined the abundances of and in it, and found that for every 1 uranium atom there were 3 lead atoms, then what would the age of this rock be? Note that decays to with a half-life of 700 million years. Assume that there was no in the rock when it originally formed. 1.4 billion years Suppose an earthquake occurs on an imaginary planet. Scientists on the other side of the planet detect primary waves but not secondary waves after the quake occurs. This suggests that part of the planet’s interior is liquid. If a radioactive element has a half-life of 10,000 years, what fraction of it is left in a rock after 40,000 years? One-sixteenth If you obtained a sample of rock from Venus and determined the abundances of and in it, and found that for every 1 uranium atom there were 3 lead atoms, then what would the age of this rock be?

Note that decays to with a half-life of 700 million years. Assume that there was no in the rock when it originally formed. 1.4 billion years Suppose an earthquake occurs on an imaginary planet. Scientists on the other side of the planet detect primary waves but not secondary waves after the quake occurs. This suggests that part of the planet’s interior is liquid. Differentiation refers to materials that are separate based on their density. The fact that Earth’s interior is differentiated suggests that it was liquid at some point in the past. What is the best explanation for the heating of Earth’s interior today? Decay of radioactive elements Which of the following will NOT be a consequence of Earth’s consumption of the bulk of its radioactive “fuel” in the future? Earth will spin more slowly on its axis. Earth’s innermost core is solid, not liquid, because the pressure is too high for a liquid state. Which of the following is NOT a requirement for a planetary magnetic dynamo? Solid iron core Continental drift occurs at a typical rate of a few cm/year Which of the following are sites of volcanic activity on Earth? a. Local hot spots d. All of the above d.

All of the above The largest volcanic mountains in the Solar System are found on... Mars. Erosion on the surface of the Moon is primarily caused by solar radiation. We suspect that Mars once had liquid water on its surface because a. mapping satellites have detected dry river beds. b. rovers have detected minerals that must have formed in the presence of liquid water. c. mapping satellites have detected outflow channels coming from impact craters. d. All of the above d. All of the above true or false In the absence of a greenhouse effect, water would still be liquid on the surface of Earth. False true or flase, Each halogen atom, such as chlorine, florine, and bromine, in the Earth’s atmosphere catalyzes the destruction of ozone for a long time ranging from decades to centuries. True Venus rotates so rapidly that the dominant form of convection is powered hurricanes moving east to west in its atmosphere. False We do not expect Mercury to have an atmosphere at all because a. it is small. b. it has a high temperature. c. it is bombarded by intense solar radiation. d. All of the above d. All of the above Which of the following processes did NOT contribute to Earth’s secondary atmosphere?

Oxidation The nitrogen in the Earth’s atmosphere came from ammonia delivered by comet impacts. Based solely on mass, which of the following terrestrial planets would you expect to retain a secondary atmosphere? Earth has roughly __________ times more atmospheric pressure than Mars and __________ times less than Venus. 100; 100 The main greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of the terrestrial planets are carbon dioxide and water vapor. The Earth releases the energy it receives from the Sun by emitting __________ radiation. infrared The greenhouse effect raises Earth’s surface temperature by roughly 35 K. The major difference in the composition of Earth’s atmosphere compared to the atmospheres of Venus and Mars is a direct consequence of life on the planet. Which molecule moves with the fastest average speed in the Earth’s atmosphere in thermal equilibrium? Water, (atomic mass = 18) According to the Ideal Gas law, if you blow up a balloon, seal it, and lower its temperature, the balloon will contract. It took approximately __________ years for oxygen to become a large component of the Earth’s atmosphere. 1 billion __________ in our atmosphere is a direct consequence of the emergence of life. Oxygen If plant life were to die on Earth, oxygen would disappear from the atmosphere.

Without the ozone layer, life on Earth would be in danger from increased levels of __________ radiation. ultraviolet All weather and wind on Earth are a result of convection in the troposphere Quia - Science Chapters 25 Lessons 1 and 2 Java Games: Flashcards, matching, concentration, and word search. Science Chapters 25 Lessons 1 and 2 Tools In a diagram depicting the solar system as heliocentric, what is located at the center? the sun Why did ancient observers believe that Earth was the center of the universe? objects in the sky appeared to circle around the earth What is the orbit of a planet around the sun? ellipse What helps explain why planets remain in motion around the sun? gravity and inertia Which of the following objects does NOT orbit directly around the sun? planets, comets, or moons moons What led to the discovery of three more planets than those that the ancient observers knew about? the invention of the telescope in 1600 Who was the first American in space? When? Alan Shepard, 1971 Who is currently operating the space station? a team of scientists from 16 countries Why does Earth's moon have no atmosphere?

The moon's gravity is too weak to hold onto gas molecules How might a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere on the moon affect the range of temperatures on the moon? an atmosphere might moderate temperatures, making them more even, as on Earth On the moon, maria are... low, flat plains What is meant by the statement "The moon is geologically dead"? the moon has little erosion and no plate movement How did the moon most likely form? from a collision of Earth with a Mars-sized object Soon after the collision with Earth, the materials that eventually formed the moon were... bits of Earth's mantle encircling the Earth Ocean tides are the result of what? differences in botht he sun's and moon's gravitational pull on Earth DIAGRAM question...Suppose you are an astrounaut on the side of the moon facing Earth during a total lunar eclipse. What would you see as you look toward Earth? You would not see the sun because Earth blocks its light. The force of gravity that the sun exerts on a planet is directed toward ____. the sun Because Earth's orbit around the sun is an ellipse, and Earth is not always the same distance from the sun, one AU is defined as _______________. the AVERAGE distance from Earth to the sun.

All of the planets in our solar system have ______________ with the excpetion of Mercury and Venus. moons The beginning of the "space race" occurred when the ____________ launched the first artificial satellite in 1957. Soviet Union Because there is no _________ on the moon, any liquid water would have evaporated a long time ago. atmosphere A person weighing 540 newtons (about 121 pounds) on Earth would weigh about ____ newtons on the moon. 90 The model of the universe in which Earth is stationary is the _______ model. geocentric On Earth's moon, there are fewer __________ within the maria than in the highlands. craters The collision from which the moon was formed ejected a huge amount of Earth's crust into space along with part of Earth's _______. mantle The Greek astronomer Aristarchus developed a _____________ model, with the sun at the center. heliocentric Which planet has the largest moon relative to the size of the planet? Earth What is a space probe? an unpiloted vehicle that carries objects into space The major surface features on the moon are ____, _____, and _____.

maria, highlands, and craters What bodies make up our solar system? sun, the planets, their moons, and a variety of objects that mostly revolve in the same plane around the sun How is the solar system being explored today? modern technology including complex telescopes, piloted spacecrafts, and space probes What causes the phases of the moon? changes in the relative positions of the moon, sun, and Earth, as the moon revolves around Earth What causes a solar eclipse? when the moon casts a shadow on a portion of Earth's surface What causes of lunar eclipse? when Earth casts a shadow on the moon What causes the tides? differences in the moon's gravitational pull on Earth What are round impact depressions that cover much of the moon's surface? craters True or False? A lunar eclipse can occur when the moon is between the sun and the earth. False, solar eclipse How Old Is The Earth? - Universe Today Universe Today How Old Is The Earth? Article Updated: 16 Oct , 2016 by Fraser Cain This article comes from the Universe Today archive, but was updated with this spiffy video. How old is the Earth? Scientists think that the Earth is 4.54 billion years old.

Coincidentally, this is the same age as the rest of the planets in the Solar System, as well as the Sun. Of course, it’s not a coincidence; the Sun and the planets all formed together from a diffuse cloud of hydrogen billions of years ago. In the early Solar System, all of the planets formed in the solar nebula; the remnants left over from the formation of the Sun. Small particles of dust collected together into larger and larger objects – pebbles, rocks, boulders, etc – until there were many planetoids in the Solar System. These planetoids collided together and eventually enough came together to become Earth-sized. At some point in the early history of Earth, a planetoid the size of Mars crashed into our planet. The resulting collision sent debris into orbit that eventually became the Moon. How do scientists know Earth is 4.54 billion years old? It’s actually difficult to tell from the surface of the planet alone, since plate tectonics constantly reshape its surface. Older parts of the surface slide under newer plates to be recycled in the Earth’s core. The oldest rocks ever found on Earth are 4.0 – 4.2 billion years old.

Scientists assume that all the material in the Solar System formed at the same time. Various chemicals, and specifically radioactive isotopes were formed together. Since they decay in a very known rate, these isotopes can be measured to determine how long the elements have existed. And by studying different meteorites from different locations in the Solar System, scientists know that the different planets all formed at the same time. Failed Methods for Calculating the Age of the Earth Our current, accurate method of measuring the age of the Earth comes at the end of a long series of estimates made through history. Clever scientists discovered features about the Earth and the Sun that change over time, and then calculated how old the planet Earth is from that. Unfortunately, they were all flawed for various reasons. Declining Sea Levels – Benoit de Maillet, a French anthropologist who lived from 1656-1738 and guessed (incorrectly) that fossils at high elevations meant Earth was once covered by a large ocean. This ocean had taken 2 billion years to evaporate to current sea levels. Scientists abandoned this when they realized that sea levels naturally rise and fall.

Cooling of the Earth – William Thompson, later known as Lord Kelvin, assumed that the Earth was once a molten ball of rock with the same temperature of the Sun, and then has been cooling ever since. Based on these assumptions, Thompson calculated that the Earth took somewhere between 20 and 400 million years to cool to its current temperature. Of course, Thompson made several inaccurate assumptions, about the temperature of the Sun (it’s really 15 million degrees Kelvin at its core), the temperature of the Earth (with its molten core) and how the Sun is made of hydrogen and the Earth is made of rock and metal. Cooling of the Sun – In 1856, the German physicist Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz attempted to calculate the age of the Earth by the cooling of the Sun. He calculated that the Sun would have taken 22 million years to condense down to its current diameter and temperature from a diffuse cloud of gas and dust. Although this was inaccurate, Helmholtz correctly identified that the source of the Sun’s heat was driven by gravitational contraction.

Rock Erosion – In his book, The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Charles Darwin proposed that the erosion of chalk deposits might allow for a calculation of the minimum age of the planet. Darwin estimated that a chalk formation in the Weald region of England might have taken 300 million years to weather to its current form. Orbit of the Moon – George Darwin, the son of Charles Darwin, guessed that the Moon might have been formed out of the Earth, and drifted out to its current location. The fission theory proposed that the Earth’s rapid rotation caused a chunk of the planet to spin off into space. Darwin calculated that it had taken the Moon at least 56 million years to reach its current distance from Earth. We now know the Moon was probably formed when a Mars-sized object smashed into the Earth billions of years ago. Salinity of the Ocean – In 1715, the famous astronomer Edmund Halley proposed that the salinity of the oceans could be used to estimate the age of the planet. Halley observed that oceans and lakes fed by streams were constantly receiving more salt, which then stuck around as the water evaporated.

Over time, the water would be come saltier and saltier, allowing an estimate of how long this process has been going on. Various geologists used this method to guess that the Earth was between 80 and 150 million years old. This method was flawed because scientists didn’t realize that geologic processes are extracting salt out of the water as well. Radiometric Dating Provides an Accurate Method to Know the Age of the Earth In 1896, the French chemist A. Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity, the process where materials decay into other materials, releasing energy. Geologists realized that the interior of the Earth contained a large amount of radioactive material, and this would be throwing off their calculations for the age of the Earth. Although this discovery revealed flaws in the previous methods of calculating the age of the Earth, it provided a new method: radiometric dating. Geologists discovered that radioactive materials decay into other elements at a very predictable rate. Some materials decay quickly, while others can take millions or even billions of years to fully decay. Ernest Rutherford and Frederick Soddy, working at McGill University, determined that half of any isotope of a radioactive element decays into another isotope at a set rate.

For example, if you have a set amount of Thorium-232, half of it will decay over a billion years, and then half of that amount will decay in another billion years. This is the source of the term “half life”. By measuring the half lives of radioactive isotopes, geologists were able to build a measurement ladder that let them accurately calculate the age of geologic formations, including the Earth. They used the decay of uranium into various isotopes of lead. By measuring the amount of three different isotopes of lead (Pb-206, Pb-207, and Pb-208 or Pb-204), geologists can calculate how much Uranium was originally in a sample of material. If the Solar System formed from a common pool of matter, with uniformly distributed Pb isotopes, then all objects from that pool of matter should show similar amounts of the isotopes. Also, over time, the amounts of Pb-206 and Pb-207 will change because as these isotopes are end-products of uranium decay. This makes the amount of lead and uranium change.

The higher the uranium-to-lead ratio of a rock, the more the Pb-206/Pb-204 and Pb-207/Pb-204 values will change with time. Now, supposing that the source of the Solar system was also uniformly distributed with uranium isotopes, then you can draw a data line showing a lead-to-uranium plot and, from the slope of the line, the amount of time which has passed since the pool of matter became separated into individual objects can be computed. Bertram Boltwood applied this method of dating to 26 different samples of rocks, and discovered that they had been formed between 92 and 570 million years old, and further refinements to the technique gave ages between 250 million to 1.3 billion years. Geologists set about exploring the Earth, seeking the oldest rock formations on the planet. The oldest surface rock is found in Canada, Australia and Africa, with ages ranging from 2.5 to 3.8 billion years. The very oldest rock was discovered in Canada in 1999, and estimated to be just over 4 billion years old.

This set a minimum age for the Earth, but thanks to geologic processes like weathering and plate tectonics, it could still be older. Meteorites as the Final Answer to the Age of the Earth The problem with measuring the age of rocks on Earth is that the planet is under constant geological change. Plate tectonics constantly recycle portions of the Earth, blending it up and forever hiding the oldest regions of the planet. But assuming that everything in the Solar System formed at the same time, meteorites in space have been unaffected by weathering and plate tectonics here on Earth. Geologists used these pristine objects, such as the Canyon Diablo meteorite (the fragments of the asteroid that impacted at Barringer Crater) as a way to get at the true age of the Solar System, and therefore the Earth. By using the radiometric dating system on these meteorites, geologists have been able to determine that the Earth is 4.54 billion years old within a margin of error of about 1%.

Sources: True or False: Mars Edition | The Classroom | Synonym True or False: Mars Edition by Chris Deziel True or False: Mars Edition Until they found out that it was a volcanic inferno that would incinerate anyone who tried to visit it, scientists considered Venus the planet that most resembled Earth. Though that distinction now goes to Mars, Earth and Mars are far from identical. Check your knowledge about the red planet -- the brightest object in the sky after the sun, moon and Venus. Take the Quiz! Mars appears red to people on Earth because it’s rusty. True False Mars is covered with a thin layer of iron oxide dust, otherwise known as rust. One possible reason for its existence is the presence of surface water in Mars’ past. Another is exposure to magnetite. Next Question Mars has a mountain almost as tall as Mt. Everest. True False Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain on Mars, is about 27 kilometers (17 miles) tall -- three times as tall as Mt. Everest. Olympus Mons is the tallest known volcanic mountain in the solar system. Next Question There is no water on Mars and there never has been.

True False Scientists have found evidence for the existence of past water deposits, including salt deposits, and erosion patterns in the highlands that suggest water could still be flowing. Moreover, the atmosphere contains trace amounts of water vapor, and water-ice clouds have been detected. Next Question There are no definitive signs of life on Mars. True False Scientists have found evidence that salt and water are present, and this may have allowed Mars to support life in the past. However, they have found no concrete evidence of life. NASA is planning to send a new rover in 2020 specifically to search for life on Mars. Next Question Mars experiences a greenhouse effect, just like Earth. True False The Martian atmosphere is only 1 percent as dense as that of Earth, but it is composed of 95 percent carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas. Moreover, there is more water vapor in the Martian upper atmosphere than there is in Earth’s. These gases warm the atmosphere by less than 5.5 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit). Next Question Winds can approach hurricane speeds on Mars. True False Dust devils that form in various places on the Martian surface can travel at speeds of 162 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour).

Because Mars has such a thin atmosphere, these winds would feel like a gentle breeze to an observer from Earth, where the atmosphere is 100 times as dense. Next Question Mars has planet-wide dust storms. True False Strong winds regularly whip up Mars' fine surface layer of dust into a haze resembling cigarette smoke. Most of the dust originates in Hellas Planitia, which is located in the Southern Hemisphere of the planet and is the planet's largest impact artifact. The dust can spread over the whole planet in a matter of days. Next Question Martian days are similar to those on Earth. True It never rains or snows on Mars. True False NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter observed clouds and snowfall around the southern pole region during the Martian winter. The snow isn’t water ice, however, but dry ice, which is frozen carbon dioxide. Next Question Martian seasons are the same in both hemispheres. True False The tilt of Mars’ axis is just a few degrees more than that of Earth, but Mars has an elongated orbit. As a result, the Southern Hemisphere experiences short, hot summers and long, cold winters, while the Northern Hemisphere experiences short winters and long, mild summers. See My Score!

Question: True or False, The Earth and the Moon are the same age?
Answer: True